Garment hanger



July 12, l.938.- B. 0. PLACE 2,123,797

GARMENT HANGER Filed Feb. 17, 1936 Z SheetS-Sheet 1 July 12, 1938. B. c. PLACE GARMENT HANGER Filed Feb. 17,1936

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 12, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

The present invention relates to an improved garment hanger of the type that may be readily constructed from wire at a very low cost. More particularly, the invention is concerned with a 5 garment hanger constructed of Wire in such a way as to permit the hanger to be used to conveniently suspend any fabric article of wearing apparel regardless of its character.

A primary purpose of the present invention is to provide a garment hanger, in the conventional vriangular form of a wire coat hanger, but constructed in such manner as to provide a'clamping element associated with each side of the triangular hanger so as to permit ready entry of a garment or" any character between any side of the triangle and the clamping element associated therewith.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wire garment hanger consisting of two substantially similar triangular wire frames secured together at the apexes of the triangles, the frames being unattached atother points whereby various articles of apparel may be clamped between the sides of the triangles between said apexes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wire garment hanger havinga hook to suspend the hanger that is journalled in a bearing formed by twisting together portions of the wire from which the hanger is constructed.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a garment hanger including clamping means to secure a garment to the inclined conventional coat supporting members, said clamping elements 3;; being associated with said members in a manner permitting ready insertion of the garment .between the members and elements.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a wire coat hanger of triangular form including means associated with the strut, that connects the inclined coat supporting members, to clamp another article of wearing apparel against said strut while permitting ready application and removal of said article from the clamp.

Further objects of the invention will appear as a description thereof proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a garment '50 hanger constructed in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a view of the hanger illustrated in Figure 1 as seen from an end thereof.

Figure 3 illustrates the hanger of Figure 1 when used to suspend .a pair of trousers, for

example, the trousers being shown in position in the hanger.

Figure 4 is a view of the hanger illustrated in Figure 1 showing how a skirt may be suspended from the hanger by clamping the ends of a Waist band against the inclined coat supporting members of the device.

Figure 5 is an elevational View of a modified form of hanger.

Figure 6 is a similar view of another modified form of hanger.

Like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the improved hanger comprises two triangular frames, the triangles being substantially equilateral and equiangular each to the other. One triangle forms a pair of inclined coat supporting members Hi and l I, forming two sides of the triangle. The third side consists of a strut i2 interconnecting the sides In and H. The other triangle comprises tWoinclined sides i3 and It preferably disposed directly beneath the sides H and I0 respectively and a strut i5 interconnecting the sides I3 and Id and preferably disposed in back of strut l2. Each triangle .is constructed from a separate piece of wire. The ends of the wire are twisted together to form a hollow bearing It at the top apex of the triangles. of the wire at l6 serves to connect the triangles together at the top apex. At the side apexes the triangles are preferably spot Welded at points designated by ll, [8, l9, and 29. Between the apexes of the triangles the sides are unconnected. A portion of the strut I2 is offset at 2!, serving to space said portion from strut Hi. The sides 83 and M are preferably provided with loops 22 and 23 respectively, serving likewise to space a part of said sides I3 and I i from the sides I! .and iii respectively of the other triangle.

The hanger also includes a hook 24 having a straight shank 25 journalled in the hollow bearing l6, the end of the shank 25 being upset at 25 toprovide a head after said shank has been inserted in said bearing retaining the hook in assembled relation with respect to the frame of the hanger. The hook 241 is thus mounted for swiveled movement in the frame, enabling it to be brought in any desired angular position with respect to the plane of the frame of the hanger so that, for example, the hanger may be readily hooked upon the back of a chair or the like, or, when desired, upon a rod extending normal to the plane of said frame.

The twisting together of the ends Preferably the inclined sides of the several triangles are curved as illustrated in Figure 2 in order to more nearly conform to the shape of a coat for the reception of which the inclined sides In and I are provided. If desired, however, said inclined sides may be disposed in the planes of the struts I2 and I5.

It will be observed that the construction just described provides a garment hanger including means to clamp an article of apparel against each side of the triangle of which the hanger is composed. The 'side |3 provides a yieldable clamping element, the inherent yieldability of the wire from which said side is constructed giving it this characteristic. Said side serves to clamp an article of apparel against the inclined coat supporting member II. Similarly the side I4 serves as a yieldable clamping element designed to hold a portion of an article of apparel between the inclined coat supporting member l and said element. The strut |2 likewise provides a yieldable clamping element serving to retain an article of apparel by clamping it against the strut I5. Inasmuch as the clamping elements I3, I4, and I2 are secured to the complemental frame members only at the ends thereof, it will be understood that said members may be sprung away from said complemental members in order to permit the entry of a garment between the clamping element and said complementary member. If desired, a slidable clip in the form of a wire loop 21 encircling the yieldable clamping element and its complemental member may be employed, said loop being slidable along said element and member to increase the clamping action upon any portion of an article of apparel disposed therebetween.

Figure 3 illustrates how the hanger just described is used in suspending an article of apparel such as a pair of trousers, for example. Preferably such an article is suspended from the struts I2 and I by first entering one corner of the cuff 28 of the trousers between the spaced portion 2| and the strut I5 and then sliding the leg of the trousers between the straight portions of the struts I2 and I5 as illustrated until the other corner of the cufi may likewise be passed between said spaced portion 2| and the strut I5, after which the trousers may be centralized by sliding the same into proper position on the struts as illustrated. Neckties or like small articles of apparel may be readily suspended from the struts of the hanger by passing parts between the spaced portion 2| and the strut I5 and sliding them into position to be clamped between the closely disposed spaced portions of the struts I2 and I5. The loop 21 may be adjusted along the struts to apply the desired clamping pressure between the spaced struts.

Figure 4 shows how the hanger illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 may be used in suspending a skirt regardless of the width of the waist band. In order to accomplish such suspension a corner 29 of the waist band of the skirt is first passed between the coat supporting member II and the clamping element I3 through the loop 22. The other corner 30 of the waist band is passed between the inclined coat supporting member I!) and the clamping element I4 through the loop 23. The skirt is then slid along the inclined portions until a part thereof is reached that corresponds to the width of the waist band so that said band 3| of skirt 32 is maintained under some tension between the two inclined sides of the frame. In this way the skirt is suspended evenly.

Other similar articles of apparel may be similarly suspended.

A modified form of the invention is illustrated in Figure 5 of the drawings. In this form of the invention a coat hanger consisting of an approximately triangular solid wooden block 33 having inclined coat supporting surfaces 34 and 35 and a horizontally disposed edge 36 is supported by a book 31 preferably swiveled in said block. A yielding clamping element is constructed from a piece of wire having sharpened ends 38 and 39 that are driven into the block 33 to secure said element thereto. The element includes spaced portions 40 and 4| and an offset central portion 42. In the use of the hanger of this form of the invention the clamping element may be brought into the dotted line position in entering an article of apparel or the like between the surface 36 and said clamping element, said article being preferably first passed between the spaced portion 42 and said surface to facilitate the entry between the straight portions 40 01' 4| and the surface 36.

In Figure 6 a still further modification is shown comprising a preferably wooden body 43 consisting of two inclined coat supporting members 44 and 45 having inclined under-surfaces 46 and 41. The body 43 is supported by a hook 48, preferably swiveled in the body between the ends thereof. A yieldable clamping element, in the form of a piece of wire, the ends 49 and 50 of which are driven into the body 43 adjacent the ends thereof is thus secured to the body. The mid-portion of said element is secured to the body by a staple or the like 5|, the remaining portions of the clamping element being free of attachment to the body. The clamping element consists of straight portions 52, 53, and loops 54 and 55, and may be used to suspend a skirt or the like from the underside of the hanger by entering the corners thereof through the loops 54 and 55 and springing the clamping element into the dotted line position, the entry of the corners of the skirt being effected in the manner above described with reference to Figure 4.

It will be further readily understood that the hanger of the invention illustrated in Figure 6 may be provided with a horizontal wooden strut having a clamping element, such as included in the form of the invention shown in Figure 5, and that in the latter figure the body of the hanger may be an open frame rather than a solid block, as illustrated.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A garment hanger comprising a hook, a pair of inclined coat supporting members extending in opposite directions from said hook and carried thereby, and a pair of yieldable clamping elements carried respectively by said members, each of said elements having a part spaced from the member that carries it whereby portions of a garment may be freely passed between said members and elements.

2. A garment hanger comprising two wire frames of approximate triangular form, said frames being secured together at or adjacent the apexes of the triangles and being free of attachment at other points, whereby articles may be clamped between the portions of said frames that form the sides of the triangles, said frames being spaced at each side of the triangular form to facilitate entry of said articles between said frames at each side. 7

3. A garment hanger comprising two wire frames of generally triangular form, each frame being constructed from a separate piece of wire, the ends of said pieces of wire being twisted together at one apex of the triangle in the form of an open-ended cylinder to secure said frames together and to provide a bearing for a hook, and a hook journalled in said bearing.

4. A wire garment hanger comprising two wire frames, and a bearing for the hook formed by closely coiling the ends of the pieces of Wire from which said frames are constructed into openended cylindrical form, and a separate hook journalled in said bearing.

5. A garment hanger comprising two wire frames, each frame being generally triangular in form, means to secure said frames together only at widely spaced points, and means between said points to facilitate entry and clamping of garments between portions of said frames at each side of the triangle.

BION C. PLACE. 

